


Last Call

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: The Heart of the Matter [8]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-12
Updated: 2013-03-12
Packaged: 2017-12-05 03:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/718351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being so settled into a relationship that it just happened to you was a place Erin never wanted to be again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last Call

The phone rang and it beeped. It rang and beeped again; and again and again. Soon the voicemail was picking up and she sighed into the phone.

‘ _You’ve reached Jack Coleman. Please leave a message, thanks_.’ **BEEP!**

“I can only suspect you're on the phone with your other fiancée or the State Department. It better not be the State Department, Jack. I'm calling you before I fall asleep but there's a small window to call me back before I go down. I hope you crawl through it. Goodnight.”

Erin pressed the button to end the phone call. She sighed again as she rolled from her side to her back on the bed. She’d been home for about a half hour. Dave took her to Vesuvius, which was one of those hipster bars where no one was over thirty. 

Even though they shot the median age up it was a place where they didn’t have a chance in hell of running into anyone they knew. It was 80s night, and the music took Erin back to simpler times. She was once a woman who danced in her underwear to Dead or Alive. Culture Club was a mainstay on the radio and in her heart. 

That was a long time ago but being in that bar made it feel like just yesterday. Even the looks from the youngsters didn’t bother her. She had her martinis, smoked her cigarettes (which you were actually allowed to do if the bar sold no food), and had good conversation. No arguments or anger marred her evening with Dave. 

Tonight they talked about Hitchcock, New York, cars, and any other thing that wasn’t them, their prior relationship, or the relationship Erin was in now. It was actually quite nice to spend a couple of hours away from reality. Vesuvius was about as away from reality as Erin Strauss would ever get. Her ring tone, some silly techno beat that she kept meaning to get rid of, brought her out of her thoughts. That was a good thing since she didn’t need to be thinking about him anyway.

“Hey.”

“My other fiancée says hi.”

“How is she?” Erin asked.

“She's great. She wants to know why I don’t spend enough time with her. Expect a call from her soon about your hogging me.”

Erin laughed. She again turned on her side, cradling the phone as she curled up.

“You're home right?”

“I'm home. I put in a DVD for background noise and went about my nightly rituals.”

“What DVD?” Erin asked.

“Um…” she heard Jack rustling around on the bed. “ _The Mirror Has Two Faces_.”

“I love you for loving Streisand.”

“Who doesn’t love Streisand?” Jack asked in a serious tone. “I hope you were able to end your night on a good note.”

“I'm ending it that way now.” she said.

“I wish we were together. I wish we were cuddled in bed, you tipsy and adorable, touching me in the most inappropriate places. I wish you were laughing because hearing you laugh always makes me smile. I haven’t been smiling much lately.”

“What's wrong Jack?” 

His tone had become different. Erin had known Jack for three years and surely didn’t have all of his moods down to a science. She was well acquainted with his tones though. This one sounded sad, as if he was talking about something that would never happen again. They were going to be together this weekend. 

Erin knew that work had kept them separated recently, and it wasn’t easy on her either. She was also a mom and that kept her busy. There weren't enough hours in the day. When they were married at least they'd be in the same household. Spending time together wouldn’t be something to schedule or squeeze in.

“Nothing’s wrong.” He replied.

“If something’s wrong you can tell me.”

“I'm just tired. It’s been a long day…it’s been a long week.”

“I can let you go.” She said.

“I didn’t say that to get you off the phone, love. I'm just answering your question.”

“I know it’s not easy. It’s not easy for me either.”

“It used to be easy.” Jack said.

“What do you mean?”

“The next four months are going to be agony. I've never been a patient man. Why didn’t we just elope?”

“That’s a dandy question to ask now.” Erin laughed some. 

She knew something else was wrong but didn’t want to press. It was late and they were both tired. When they were together this weekend she would make sure that they talked. Being so settled into a relationship that it just happened to you was a place Erin never wanted to be again. One of the things she loved about being with Jack is that their communication had been amazing from the word go. It would be silly for that to change now, so close to being married.

“Would it be possible to have some lunch tomorrow or the day after?” Erin asked.

“I don’t think so.” Jack replied. “I'm going to be back and forth in Arlington doing some work at the Foreign Service Institute.”

“Well I'm planning to take off early on Friday so we can get to our weekend.”

“What time shall I pick you up? We can check into the hotel at three.”

“I’ll wrap up work by five.” Erin said.

“I can pick you up in Quantico; we’ll get right on the road.” Jack said.

“You'll cut the time in half if you just pick me up at home.”

“You don’t want me to come to Quantico?” Jack asked.

“That’s not what I meant. If you want to come to Quantico, OK, but Friday rush hour traffic…its going to double our time on the road. It’s also going to frustrate both of us before we even get there. Plus I'm driving into work. I don’t want to leave my car on the base.”

“Say no more…I’ll pick you up at home.”

“Are you sure nothing’s wrong Jack?”

“Yes. I need to get some sleep so we’ll talk again tomorrow. Are you dressed and ready for bed?”

“I'm in bed now.” Erin replied.

“OK, now I really have to go. Life is so unfair. Next you're going to tell me you're wearing the sexy lingerie. Are you wearing the sexy lingerie?”

“I'm wearing pajama pants and an old tee shirt.” She laughed. “I love you Jack.” 

“I love you too. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight.”

Erin almost didn’t want to hang up but there was nothing else to say. Jack wasn’t opening up right now; it wasn’t as if she could force him. It wasn’t always easy with his stressful job and heavy demands. She just hoped that she wasn’t the cause of all of this. 

The return of David Rossi wasn’t just affecting her. He was her fiancée and he felt it too. The lies she told earlier tonight weren't helping the situation at all. How could Erin break away from Dave and have things go back to the way they used to be? 

She wasn’t going to risk losing Jack. They were just going to have to talk about it. The talk would be serious and difficult. Erin would have to be brutally honest and so would Jack. There was a chance it could turn into a fight, though she would do everything in her power to prevent that. 

It had to be done. Their relationship hadn't always been smooth sailing. Even the best ones had obstacles…Erin and Jack were no different. They would overcome this one just like all the rest. She wasn’t going to destroy her last chance at happiness.

***


End file.
